Sepher Yetzirah

[Adapted to conform to the Golden Dawn correspondences
in 1976 e.v. with parenthetic notes by Bill Heidrick
from the Kalisch and Stenring translations. This
rendering of the S.Y. is made in the public domain as a
way of paying dues of another kind. The notes are in
curly brackets: {}, and are not part of the original text. The Sepher Yetzirah is the ultimate basis of the
Golden Dawn system of correspondences embodied in
Crowley's Liber 777.]

The Sepher Yetzirah is one ofthe most important founding worksof Qabalah. It was composedprobably between the 3rd and 6thcenturies of the Christian era andwas later attributed to R. Akiba.For more information on thehistory of this work, see GershomScholem's Kabbalah, Quadrangle/TheNew York Times Book Co., 1974.Scholem's work is essential forstudents of Qabalah, but must betaken with considerable skepticismin its conclusions.

THE SEPHER YETZIRAH

The Book of Creation

Chapter One.

Section One.

Yah, Jehovah of hosts, the
living Elohim, King of the
Universe, Omnipotent, All-King and
Merciful, Supreme and Extolled,
Who is Eternal, Sublime and Most-
Holy, formed and created the
Universe in thirty-two mysterious
paths of wisdom by three Sepharim,
namely: Sfor, Sippur and Sapher
{, and : These angelic
names mean: Numbers, Letters and
Words} which are in Him one and
the same. They consist of ten
Sephiroth out of nothing and of
twenty-two fundamental letters.
He divided the twenty-two
consonants into three divisions:
Three Mothers, fundamental letters
or first elements; Seven Double;
and Twelve Simple consonants.

Section Two.

The ten Sephiroth out of nothing
is analogous to that of the ten
fingers {and toes} of the human
body, five parallel to five, and
in the center of which is the
covenant with the only One
{between the hands this is the
tongue. Between the feet this is
the circumcised penis or the broken hymen} by the word of the
tongue and the rite of Abraham.

Section Three.

Ten are the Sephiroth {often
translated as "numbers", this word
has no English true equivalent}
out of nothing, and not the number
nine, ten and not eleven.
Comprehend this great wisdom,
understand {Chokmah and Binah in
the text} this knowledge, inquire
into it and ponder on it, render
it evident and lead the Creator
back to His throne again {In other
words, descend the Tree of Life to
learn Ma'aseh Berishit and ascend
it to accomplish the goal of
Ma'aseh Merkabah.}

Section Four.

The Ten Sephiroth out of
nothing are infinite in ten ways:
The beginning infinite {Kether};
The end infinite {Chokmah}; The
good infinite {Binah}; The evil
infinite {Chesed}; The height
infinite {Geburah}; The depth
infinite {Tiphireth}; The East
infinite {Netzach}; The West
infinite {Hod}; The North infinite
{Yesod}; The South infinite
{Malkuth} - {These last four are
given in a different order in some
versions.}, and the only Lord God,
the faithful King, rules over all
from His holy habitation for ever
and ever.

Section Five.

The appearance of the Sephiroth
out of nothing is like a flash of
lightning, being without end, His
word is in them, when they go and
return; they run by His order like
a whirlwind and humble themselves
before His throne {The divine
names of the lightning bolt are:
Eheieh, Yah, Yahweh Elohim, El,
Elohim Gibor, Jehovah Eloh Va-
Da'at, Jehovah Tzabaoth, Elohim
Tzabaoth, Shadi El Chi, Adoni
Melekh Ha-Aretz.}

Section Six.

The Sephiroth out of nothing
has its end linked to its
beginning and its beginning linked
to its end, just as the flame is
wedded to the live coal; because
the Lord is one and there is not a
second one, and before one what
will you count {"count" has the
suggestion meaning of "consider a
Sephira."}?

Section Seven.

Concerning the number ten of
the Sephiroth out of nothing, keep
your tongue from speaking and your
mind from pondering it and if your
mouth urges you to speak and your
heart to think about it, return
{from questioning the number ten
of them}! as it reads: "And the
living creatures ran and returned," {Ezekiel: I, 14} and
upon this {Mystery} was the
covenant made.

Section Eight.

These are the ten Sephiroth out
of nothing:

One; The Spirit of the living God
{Ruach Elohim Chiim}, praised and
glorified be the name {schem} of
Him who lives to all eternity.
The articulate word of creative
power, the spirit and the word are
what we call the holy spirit. Two; Air emanated from the spirit

by which He formed and established
twenty-two consonants
fundamentally. Three of them are
truly fundamental letters, or
mothers, seven are double and
twelve are simple consonants;
hence the spirit is the first one.

Three; Primitive water emanated
from the air. He formed and
established by it Bohu {the more
substantial part of Chaos, or the
waters below the upper waters of
Genesis} mud and loam, made them
like a bed, put them up like a
wall, and surrounded them as with
a rampart, put coldness upon them
and they became dust, as it reads;
"He says to the coldness {snow} be
thou earth." {Job: XXXVI; 6}

Four; Fire or Aether emanated from
the water. He established by it
the throne of glory, the Seraphim
and Opanim, the holy living
creatures and the angels, and of
these three He formed His
habitation, as it reads "Who made
His angels spirits, His ministers
a flaming fire." {Psalm CIV, 4}
He selected three consonants from
the simple ones which are in the
hidden secret of three mothers or
first elements: Air, Water,
and Aether or Fire. He sealed
them with spirit and fastened them
to His great name {Schem, which
can be spelled } and sealed
with it six dimensions.

Five; He sealed the height and
turned towards above. The seal
was {through Aleph}

Six; He sealed the depth, and
turned toward below. The seal was
{through Aleph}

Seven; He sealed the East and
turned forward. The seal was {through Mem}

Eight; He sealed the West and
turned backward. The seal was {through Mem}

Nine; He sealed the {North} and
turned to the {left}. The seal
was {through Shin}

Ten; He sealed the {South} and
turned to the {right}. The seal
was {through Shin}

{Extended note: The letters of the
six seals are in different order
in different versions of the
manuscripts. There is also confusion about the order of South
and North, right and left. The
latter problem may depend on the
divinity having right and left
sides opposite to the human right
and left. The former problem
follows from the latter. Also,
the oral tradition that ascribes
the passage of the seals through
the three Mother letters depends
on numbers 2 through 4 of this
section.}

Section Nine.

These are the ten spheres of
existence out of nothing. From
the spirit of the living God
emanated air, from the air, water,
from the water, fire or aether,
from the aether, the height and
the depth, the East and the West,
the North and the South.
{Extended Note: This is not a
simple system of a single
emanation. The Hindu theory of
the three Gunas is closer to this
than the Neoplatonic theory. Here
we have a primary emanation from
the three abstract qualities of
numbers, letters and words (Sec.
1). The ten sephiroth are
emanated in more than three
spatial dimensions and interact
with the letters via a complex
relationship to the three Mother
letters. Even the relationship of
the three Mother letters to the
other letters and to the ten
sephiroth is not simple but
compound. The higher form of the
Mothers has the sequence then
then . From this sequence
replicates in a lower form. As we
will see in the next chapter,
these three Mother letters then
take a different order to produce
yet a still lower form of the Tree
of the Ten Sephiroth. The turning
point is described in section
eight through permutation of the
letters of the name Yah - as
foretold in the first section of
this chapter. The order of the
three Mother letters given in this
chapter is that of the "Cube of
Space". The order of these Mother
letters given in the next chapter
defines a different kind of
universe, that of the "Schem" or G D Tree of Life. These two
universes (and others hinted at in
this first chapter) are considered
to be "one above the other" in the
sense of abstraction being above
the concrete.}

Chapter Two.

Section One.

There are twenty-two letters
fundamentally. Three of them are
the first elements, true
fundamentals or mothers, seven are
double and twelve are simple
consonants. The three fundamental
letters have as their basis
the balance. In one scale is the
merit and in the other the fault,
which are placed in equilibrium by
the tongue {This is shown in the
Egyptian Book of the Dead as the
Weighing of the Soul of the Dead
and the Testing of the Balance by
Thoth, the god of letters}. The
three fundamental letters, ,
signify, as is mute like the
water and hissing like the fire,
there is among them, a breath of
air which reconciles them. {The
sounds of these three letters
resemble the characteristic sounds
of their elements: Mem is like the
rolling of waves, Shin is Like the
hissing of flames and Aleph is
like the blowing of the wind.}

Section Two.

These are the twenty-two
letters which form the foundation
{, the name later applied to
the ninth Sephira, is the word
used here in the text.}, after
having been appointed and
established. He combined, weighed
{assigned values} and exchanged
them, and formed by them all
beings which are in existence, and
all these which will be formed in
all time to come.

He fixed the twenty-two Letters
of foundation on the sphere like a
wall with 231 gates, and turned
the spheres forward and backward.
For an illustration may serve the
three letters, , , . There is
nothing better than joy {spelled
in Hebrew} and nothing worse
than sorrow or plague {spelled
, in Hebrew. Thus various
combinations of the same letters
in this language can produce
opposite meanings. This is a part
of the mysticism of the letters,
and also a part of the nature of
Hebrew root word formations}

Section Five.

But how was it done? He
combined, weighed and exchanged:
the with all the other letters
in succession, and all the others
again with ; with all, and all
again with ; and so the whole
series of Letters {was paired off
in very possible way}. Hence it
follows that there are 231
formations, and that every
creature and every word emanated
from one name. {Extended Note:
There are only 231 ways to combine
the 22 Hebrew letters into
different pairs. The one name is
Schem, composed of the three
Mother letters Shin, Aleph, and
Mem, which provide the basis for
all sounds. Schem is the Hebrew
word for "Name" especially "Name
of the divinity." Schem is
usually spelled Shin-Mem, but
Aleph can be added to the middle
of the word without making a
difference in its pronunciation.}

Section Six.

He created a reality out of
nothing, called the non-existing
into existence and shaped colossal
pillars from intangible air. This
has been shown by the example of
combining the letter Aleph with
all the other letters, and all the
other letters with Aleph. {Of the
three Mother Letters, Aleph is the
most basic. It's number value is
One; and Aleph is the breath of
sound carrying air that is
necessary to pronounce any and all
of the other letters. Thus, the
gates of Aleph, the combinations
formed between Aleph and all the
remaining 21 letters produce the
actual sounds of the letters of
the Hebrew Alphabet. The pairs or
gates with Aleph ARE the spoken
Hebrew letters.} He
predetermined, and by speaking
created every creature and every
word by one name. For a sign of
this may serve the twenty-two
elementary substances {Alphabet
letters} by the primitive
substance of Aleph.

Chapter Three.

Section One.

The three first elements, ,
are typified by a balance, in one
scale the merit and in the other
the fault, which are placed in
equilibrium by the tongue. These
three mothers, , are a great,
wonderful and unknown mystery, and
are sealed by six rings, or
elementary circles, namely: air,
water, and fire emanated from
them, which gave birth again to
some offspring {These rings are
the ways of ordering three
letters, as: , male; ,
female; , male; , female;
, male; , female}

Section Two.

God appointed and established
the three mothers; combined,
weighed and exchanged them, and
formed by them three mothers
in the world {the six directions:
Above, East and South are probably Male in this tradition. Below,
West and North are probably Female
in this tradition - this is the
key to the seals of the
directions.}, in the year {The six
warm months are female two by two
while the six cold months are male
two by two} and in man, male and
female {Here the first rings apply
to childhood, the third and fourth
to adulthood and the last rings to
age}.

Section Three.

The three mothers in the
world are: air, water and fire.
Heaven was created from fire or
ether {"heaven" or "schemim"
starts with the letter Shin in
Hebrew}; the earth {comprising sea
above land - "Mem" is both the
name of and the Hebrew word for
sea} from the elementary water;
and the atmospheric air from the
elementary air, or spirit, which
establishes the balance among
them.

Section Four.

The three mothers produce in
the year heat, coldness and
moistness. Heat was created from
fire, coldness from water, and
moistness from air which equalizes
them {fire + water = steam or
moist air: Shin + Mem = Aleph, in
this particular mystical sense}.

Section Five.

The three mothers produce
in man, male and female, breast,
body and head. The head was
created from fire {Shin, on the
Tree of Life. The upper three
Sephiroth are the three prongs of
the letter Shin, while the base of
the letter forms the Abyss,
.}, the (belly) from water
{Mem, on the Tree of Life. The
upper stroke of this letter is the
Sephira Yesod - which is spelled
with Yod as its first letter in
Hebrew - and the body of this
letter Mem is the Sephira Malkuth
- the Hebrew word "Malkuth" starts
with the letter "Mem". In other
words, Mem forms the two lowest Sephiroth.}, and the (breast in
man, male and female {Aleph, on
the Tree of Life forms the middle
five Sephiroth by its upper two
points, its lower two points and
the intersection in the middle of
the letter Aleph}) ->{Note: The
text of Section Five is corrupt.
It has here been "corrected" by
comparison to sections six, seven
and eight as well as an
application of the "theory of
cyclic permutation" from the
modern mathematics of Group
Theory.}

Section Six.

First Division. He let the
letter Aleph predominate in
primitive air, crowned it {made it
the top letter of the column in
the middle of the Tree of Life.
Descending the Tree of Life, the
order of the three letters is
Aleph, Mem and Shin (male) in
Kether, Tiphereth and Yesod. The
female order, Shin, Mem and Aleph
is encountered by rising up the
middle pillar of the Tree and
thereby reversing this order.},
combining one with the other and
formed by them the air in the
world, moistness in the year, and
the breast in man, male and
female: in male by and in
female by {Text corrected by
Group Theory - see note on Section
Five. Note also that the breast
is the place of the lungs.}

Section Seven.

Second Division. He let the
letter predominate in primitive
water, and crowned it, combined
one with the other {made Mem the
top letter of the column of Mercy
on the right side of the Tree of
Life. The order of the three
letters is Mem, Shin and Aleph in
the Sephiroth Chokmah, Chesed and
Netzach {a male ring} going down,
and the opposite order {female
ring} going up. This symbolically
makes the pillar of Mercy Male as
viewed from the bottom and female
as viewed from the top - there is
another way of considering it
predominantly male - by application of the letters of the
name Jehovah or Yahweh to the
Tree.}, and formed by them the
earth {with water over land}
coldness in the year, and the
belly in male and female; in male
by , in female by . {Note
that the belly in the human body
holds most of the free water of
the body.}

Section Eight.

Third Division. He let the
letter Shin predominate in
primitive fire, crowned it,
combined one with the other {made
Shin the top of the column of
severity on the Tree of Life. The
order of these three letters is
Shin, Aleph, Mem in the Sephiroth
Binah, Geburah and Hod going down
(Male ring) and Mem, Aleph, Shin
going up (Female ring). This
makes the pillar of Severity, the
left column of the Tree of Life,
Male when viewed from the top and
Female when viewed from the
bottom. By the method of placing
Tetragrammaton on the Tree of Life
this column is considered
predominantly Female}, and formed
by them, heaven in the world, heat
in the year, and the head of male
and female {As a Hebrew word, the
name of the letter Shin means
"tooth"; and of course the teeth
are to be found in the head}.

Chapter Four.

Section One.

The seven double letters,
with a duplicity of
pronunciation, aspirated {with a
strong outward breath} and
unaspirated {without a strong
outward breath. These two modes
of pronunciation are represented
by the presence or absence of a
dot in some forms of written and
printed Hebrew, the dot or point
being called Dagash and placed in
the center of the letter} serve as
a model of softness and hardness,
strength and weakness {At the time
of the writing of the Sepher
Yetzirah these seven letters were
pronounced each in two ways: with
outrush of air or with inward
sound. They are models for
opposite qualities and for the
seven planets with their benign
and malignant effects. Modern
scholars differ as to which of the
Hebrew letters originally had this
double quality of pronunciation,
Mordell holds that a form of
Hebrew much older than the writing
of the Yetzirah had a different
usage of this double
pronunciation. He has accordingly
attempted to reconstruct a "more
ancient" version of the Yetzirah
{See Bibliography}. Modern Hebrew
dialects retain a few of these
double pronunciations and add new
ones.}

Section Two.

Seven double letters, shall, as it were symbolize Life,
Peace, Wisdom, Wealth, Beauty,
Fruitfulness and Dominion {Note: this is the list according to the
researches of the G D. The
qualities are those listed in the
Sepher Yetzirah, but the order of
the list is different. The same
is true for associations to the
seven planets - for a comparison
of the several orderings for these
seven Double Letters which are to
be found in the different versions
of the Yetzirah, see the Stenring
translation noted in the
Bibliography}.

Section Three.

Seven double letters serve to
signify the antithesis to which
human life is exposed. The
antithesis of Life is Death; of
Peace, Strife or
War; of Wisdom, Folly; of Wealth,
Poverty; of Beauty, Ugliness; of
Fruitfulness, Sterility or
Childlessness; and of Dominion,
Dependence or Slavery.

Section Four.

The seven double consonants are
analogous to the six dimensions:
height and depth { for Above,
for Below}, East and West { for
East, for West}, North and South
{ for North, for South} and the
holy temple that stands in the
center {}, which carries them
all.

Section Five.

The double consonants are
seven, and not six, they
are seven and not eight; reflect
upon this fact, inquire about it,
and make it so evident, that the
Creator be acknowledged to be on
His throne again {Although this
particular statement is often
taken as a slap against the
speculations of the Gnostics, who
were very much at the peak of
their activity at the time in
which the Sepher Yetzirah was
written, there are other meanings.
If the seven double letters are
assigned to the lower seven
Sephiroth of the Tree of Life,
this may be an injunction to study
the fifty gates of understanding;
which are the meditations of each
of the lower Sephiroth taken as
containing divisions corresponding
to all the lower seven Sephiroth -
seven times seven or forty-nine
plus one, the fiftieth, to refer
to the throne of the three higher
Sephiroth. Alternately, this may
be an injunction to meditate on
the spatial or other
configurations of these letters as
a means of attaining a vision of
the letter Taw as the throne of
the Creator.}.

Section Six.

The seven double consonants, fundamentally, having been designed and
established, combined, weighed, and changed by God, He formed by them: seven
planets in the world, seven days in the year, seven gates, openings of the
senses, in man male and female.

Section Seven.

The seven planets in the world are: Saturn {}, Jupiter {}, Mars {},
Sun {}, Venus {}, Mercury {}, Moon {}. Seven days in the year are the
seven days of the week {Sunday, ; Monday ; Tuesday, ; Wednesday, ;
Thursday, ; Friday, ; and Saturday, }; seven gates in man, male and
female are: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and the mouth {These
applications of the planets to the double letters are the most highly
corrupted matter in existing manuscripts of the Sepher Yetzirah, as is noted
further below. No definitive text exists in this matter. The attribution
to the seven gates in man, male and female might be as follows: right eye,
; left eye, ; right nostril, ; left nostril, ; right ear, ; left ear,
; mouth, . Although this seems reasonable, no certainty is claimed; the
allocation suggested here to the human gates is merely plausible. The
allocation to the planets is that used by the G D and by the older
Thelemic Orders. This allocation to the gates is offered as one alternative
to that below.}

Section Eight.

First Division. He let the letter predominate in Life, crowned it,
combined one with the other and formed by them: Mercury in the world, the
Fourth day in the year, and the right eye in man, male and female {Contrary
to the G D interpretation used here, the more reliable texts say: Moon,
First Day and right eye}.

Section Nine.

Second Division. He let the letter predominate in Peace, crowned it,
combined one with the other, and formed by them: the Moon in the world, the
Second day in the year and right ear in man, male and female. {There are
various associations of the seven gates of the senses to different things.
The whole matter is the subject of a tract in the Sepher Zohar "The Book of
Concealed Mystery" - this tract may be found in Mather's Kabbalah Unveiled and
in Luzzatto's General Principles of the Kabbalah. Neither of these two books
provide an exact solution to the allocation of the seven double letters, but
they provide material from which the problem may be attacked. The more
reliable texts here assign: Mars, Second day and right ear.}

Section Ten.

Third Division. He let the letter Dalet, predominate in Wisdom,
crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by them: Venus in the
world, the sixth day in the year, the right nostril in man, male and female.
{The word translated there as "Man" is actually "Nepesh", the name of the
"animal soul" or that which animates the body during life. This word is
used in all statements like this one throughout the Yetzirah in the Hebrew
text. Later mystical traditions ascribe the Nepesh soul to be the ghostly
spirit that lingers after death in some cases while higher souls are said to
ascend to better places. The more reliable texts here assign: Sun, Third
day and right nostril.}

Section Eleven.

Fourth Division. He let the letter predominate in Wealth, crowned it,
combined one with the other, and formed by them: Jupiter in the world, the
Fifth day in the year, and the left eye in man, male and female {The more
reliable texts here assign: Venus, Fourth day, left eye}.

Section Twelve.

Fifth Division. He let the letter predominate in Beauty, crowned it,
combined one with the other, and formed by them: Mars in the world, the
Third day in the year, and the left ear in man, male and female. {The more
reliable texts say: Mercury, Fifth day, left ear}.

Section Thirteen.

Sixth Division. He let the letter predominate in Fruitfulness, crowned
it, combined one with the other, and formed by them: The Sun in the world,
the First day in the year, and the left nostril in man, male and female.
{The more reliable texts say: Saturn, Sixth day and left nostril.}

Section Fourteen.

Seventh Division. He let the letter predominate in Dominion, crowned
it, combined one with the other, and formed by them Saturn in the world, the
Seventh day in the year, and the mouth of man, male and female. {The more
reliable texts say: Jupiter, Seventh day and mouth.}

Section Fifteen.

By the seven double consonants, were also designed seven worlds
{The lower seven Sephiroth}, seven Heavens {Not the same as the lower seven
Sephiroth. The seven Heavens combine certain Sephiroth. They are: Malkut-
Yesod, Tipheret; Hod; Netzach; Geburah; Chesed; Da'at-Binah; Chokmah; Keter,
-- These are also not to be confused with the seven body centers or Chakras
which are variously made to combine to the Sephiroth, most especially in
this order: Malkut; Yesod; Hod-Netzach; Tipheret; Geburah-Chesed; Binah-
Chokmah; Keter. This latter correspondence is an artificial one, for it
breaks down at the Vishuddah, where a complex interaction involves several
groups of Sephiroth, including Da'ath, in succession.} seven lands, seven
seas, seven rivers, seven deserts, seven days in a week, seven weeks from Passover to Pentecost, there is a cycle, of seven years {widely used in
Astrology under various names; e.g. the Saturn Return or Lunation Cycle
about 28 years from birth. This country (U.S.A.) has laws based on the
seven-fold cycle: legal age at 21, the President must be 35 or older}, the
seventh is the release year {In the U.S.A. legal records and statuary limits
on some crimes are retained for seven years}, and after seven release years
is Jubilee {Fiftieth anniversary is still considered significant in our
traditions}. Hence, God loves the number seven under the whole heaven.
{The theory of seven rays that is popular with Theosophists is based on this
seven business. M. Blavatsky probably was greatly influenced by this
source, as she was by the Zohar in her forgery of the Seven Stanzas from the Book of Dzyan.}

Section Sixteen.

Two stones build two houses {There are only two ways to combine two
different letters}, three stones build six houses {the "six rings" of three
different letters exhaust the possibilities for three different objects
taken three at a time}, four build 24 houses, five build 120 houses, six
build 720 houses and seven build 5,040. From thence further go and reckon
what the mouth cannot express and the ear cannot hear. {This section
outlines the power of combinations of magical powers of the letters and
generally spaces out. The manuscripts here prove their corruption through
various different errors in the numbers cited. The lost original probably
had the combinatorial values correctly stated, as they are given in this
edition).

Chapter Five.

Section One.

The twelve simple letters symbolize, as it were, the organs
of sight, hearing, smell, speech, digestion or swallowing, touch or coition,
work, walking, anger, mirth, thinking or meditation, sleep* {The Golden Dawn
changed these qualities around quite a bit in disregard of a relatively
uniform version in the manuscripts of the SEPHER YETZIRAH. In the following sections, the Golden Dawn term will be given first and then a version from
the Kalisch translation: e.g. "Golden Dawn term (Kalisch term)".}

Section Two.

The twelve simple consonants symbolize also twelve oblique
points {The Order of the Golden Dawn says, in order: North East, ; South
East, ; East Above, ; East Below, ; North Above, ; North Below, ; North
West, ; South West, ; West Above, ; West Below, ; South Above, ; and
South Below, . The Kalish translation gives in the same order for the
letters: East Height, North East, East Depth, South Height, South East,
South Depth, West Height, South West, West Depth, North Height, North West,
North Depth.}. They grew wider and wider to all eternity, and these are the
boundaries of the world. {In the Golden Dawn theory, as developed by Paul
Foster Case, the posthumous founder of B.O.T.A., these 12 directions are the
locations of the twelve edges of the "Cube of Space" which has for faces the
first six double letters. Some Qabalistic studies attempt to define a
diamond shape in three dimensions. In any event, this section is possibly
the origin of the Masonic Temple of Solomon, which fills the universe
through its duplication -- like three-dimensional tiles fitting together.}

Section Three.

The twelve simple letters fundamentally, having been
designed, established, combined, weighed and exchanged by Him, He performed
by them: twelve constellations in the world, twelve months in the year, and
twelve organs in the human body, male and female.

Section Four.

The twelve constellations in the world are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini,
Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius and
Pisces. The twelve {Hebrew} months of the year are: Nisan {the seventh
month}, Ivar, Sivan, Tamus, Ab, Elul, Tishri, Mavcheshvan {also called
Chesvan} Kislev, Tebet, Shebat and Adar. The twelve organs of the human
body are: two hands two feet, two kidneys, gall, small intestines, liver,
esophagus, stomach and milt {either the spleen or reproductive organs. Both
systems have been often confused in Theosophical writings and ancient
sources. The degree of absurdity involved in this relationship is
incredible. This presumes a "rape" ethos in the culture, owing to the
association of violence to the spleen and sex to the genitals.}

Section Five.

First Division. God let the letter predominate in Sight {K.T. is
Speech}, crowned it, combined one with the other and formed by them: Aries
in the world, the month Nisan in the Year, and the right foot of the human
body, male and female.

Section Six.

Second Division. He let the letter predominate in Hearing {K.T. is
Thinking}, crowned it combined one with the other, and formed by them:
Taurus in the world, the month Iyar in the year and the right kidney of the
human body, male and female.

Section Seven.

Third Division. He let the letter predominate in Smell {K.T. is
Walking}, crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by them:
Gemini in the world, the month Sivan in the year, and the left foot of the
human body, male and female.

Section Eight.

First Division. He let the letter predominate in Speech {K.T. gives
Seeing}, crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by them: Cancer
in the world, the month Tamus in the year, and the right hand of the human
body, male and female.

Section Nine.

Second Division. He let the letter predominate in Digestion or
Swallowing {K.T. gives Hearing}, crowned it, combined one with the other,
and formed by them: Leo in the world, the month Ab in the year, and the left
kidney of the human body, male and female.

Section Ten.

Third Division. He let the letter predominate in Touch or Coition
{K.T. gives Working}, crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by
them Virgo in the world, the month Elul in the year, and the left hand of
the human body, male and female.

Section Eleven.

First Division. He let the letter predominate in Work {K.T. says
Coition}, crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by them: Libra
in the world, the month Tishri in the year, and the gall of the human body,
male and female.

Section Twelve.

Second Division. He let the letter predominate in Motion or Walking
{K.T. says Smelling}, crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by
them: Scorpio in the world, the month Marcheshvan in the year, and the small
intestines of the human body, male and female.

Section Thirteen.

Third Division. He let the letter predominate in Anger {K.T. says
Sleep}, crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by them:
Sagittarius in the world, the month Kislev in the year, and the stomach of
the human body, male and female.

Section Fourteen.

First Division. He let the letter predominate in Laughter {K.T.
assigns Anger}, crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by them:
Capricorn in the world, the month Tebes in the year, and the liver in the
human body, male and female.

Section Fifteen.

Second Division. He let the letter predominate in Meditation or
Thinking {K.T. assigns Swallowing}, crowned it, combined one with the other,
and formed by them: Aquarius in the world, the month Schwat in the year, and
the esophagus of the human body, male and female.

Section Six.

Third Division, He let the letter predominate in Sleep {K.T. assigns
Laughing}, crowned it, combined one with the other, and formed by them:
Pisces in the world, the month Adar in the year, and the milt of the human
body, male and female.

He made them as a conflict, drew them up like a wall; and set one against
the other as in warfare. {This last point is explained by the observation
that these twelve letters symbolize processes in human behavior that can
interfere with each other. Some further points must now be made regarding
the assignments of qualities and body parts to these twelve simple letters.
In the Golden Dawn Tradition, many things are subordinated to the
Astrological symbolism. This was true in the case of the Double letters,
where one of several natural methods of assignment in the Yetzirah was
passed over to provide a better match between the Double Letters and the
planets to work with Tarot Trumps. The other methods do not work as well
with the G D Tarot-Astrological system, and they are therefore excluded
from Liber 777. This should not make the student think that the primary
method used there excludes the several systems proposed here. It is best to
begin with a simple system. The serious student then must examine the other
systems to determine the information contained in each of them. In the case
of these Twelve Simple Letters, this is even more the case. The Golden Dawn
-- Liber 777 system has shifted the twelve qualities of the simple letters
to make them match the usual qualities of the Astrological signs. The Yetzirah has set up an entirely new parallel system through these qualities
which deserves its own study. The same is true of the body organs mentioned
here. In the Golden Dawn system, these associations are omitted entirely.
The usual associations to the Zodiac signs are assumed in place of these
associations in the Yetzirah to body organs. It is suggested that these
associations have a particular meaning of their own, and that the serious
student will in time find it useful to study that system. By all means,
begin with the simpler approach given in Liber 777 and in the various works
derived from the Order of the Golden Dawn. When comfortable with that
approach, consider these other systems. It is the work of the advanced
student of the mysteries to make these apparently diverse systems function
well together -- even if the war of the simple letters is the only manner in
which it may be done.

Always remember that the ideas presented in the Yetzirah are like words
in their effect. The object is to first learn the simple uses of these
ideas, and then to discover the uses of these ideas that are like
circumlocutions, figures of speech and allegories. By that means, one can
obtain the conversation of the Angels.}

Chapter Six.

Section One.

These are the three mothers or the first elements Aleph, ; Mem, ; and
shin, , from which emanated three progenitors: primitive air, water and
fire, and from which emanated as their offspring three progenitors and their
offspring, namely: the seven planets and their hosts, and the twelve oblique
points. {The production of the double and single letters from the mother
letters is like the interaction of the mother letters in the six rings:
Example; Beth is like Aleph combined with Shin, = + , = + , =
+ , = + , = + , = + + = + + = + + , = + ,
= + , = + , = + , = + , = + , = + , + + ,
= + , = + , = + , = + -- this is obtained from the
symbolic meaning of the letters and the dictionary meanings of the words
they can be made to form. It is not simply related to the sounds of the
letters or to their number values, although a complex relationship does
exist through gematria. This theoretical example of the interrelationship
of the letters is taken from Brief Meanings of the Hebrew Letters by Bill
Heidrick, copyright 1974 e.v.}

Section Two.

To confirm this there are faithful witnesses; the world, year and man,
the twelve, the Equipoise {Fire, Water and Air in balance}, the heptade
{seven-fold nature of things}, which He regulates like the Dragon, {Tali or
the constellation Draco with its head and tail now taken in the simplified
modern Astrology as the nodes of the Moon} sphere {the Hebrew word here is
Galgal. It has the meaning of "machinery like turning wheels which drives
the universe} and the heart {besides all this argument, it feels right}.

Section Three.

The first elements , Aleph, Mem and Shin are air, water and fire; the
fire is above, the water below, and a breath of air establishes the balance
among them. For an illustration may serve, that the fire carries the water,
is the phonetic character of which is mute and is hissing like fire,
there is among them, a breath of air which places them in equilibrium.

Section Four.

Dragon {Tali} is in the world like a king upon his throne, the sphere is
in the year like a king in the empire, and the heart is in the human body
like a king in war. {Thus the three mother letters are like Draco, the seven double letters are like the regular motions of the planets and the
twelve single letters are like the easily upset functions of the body.}

Section Five.

Elohim has also set the one over against the other; the good against the
evil, and the evil against the good {here "good" is the Hebrew word "tob" which is the seal of creation used in Genesis and "evil" is "Ra" the name used
by the Egyptians for the god of the sun -- a competitor of Jehovah}; the good
proceeds from the good, and the evil from the evil; the good purifies the bad,
and the bad the good; the good is preserved for the good, and the evil for the
bad ones {The Qabalistic ideas of good and evil are very different from those
of modern society. Avoid a moral interpretation here. In simple terms,
"good" = "our side" and "evil" = "anything against us." The Qabalistic ideas
are more complex than that, and they involve concepts much like those met in
law courts.}.

Section Six.

There are three of which every one of them stands by itself; one is in the
affirmative, the other in the negative and one equalizes them {The three
mother letters are viewed as plaintiff, defendant and judge}.

Section Seven.

There are seven of which three are against three and one places them in
equilibrium. There are twelve which are all the time at war; three of them
produce love, and three hatred, three are animators and three destroyers {Beth
vs. Gimel, Dalet vs. Koph, Peh vs. Resh with Taw placing them in equilibrium.
As for the twelve which are at war, that matter depends on association to body
parts and directions -- it is not clearly defined in the Sepher Yetzirah, but
needs more study.}.

Section Eight.

The three that produce love are the heart and the ears; the three that
produce hatred are the liver, the gall and the tongue; the three animators are
the two nostrils and the milt; and the three destroyers are the mouth and the
two openings of the body; and God, the faithful King rules over all from His
holy habitation to all eternity. He is one above three, three are above
seven, seven are above twelve, and all are linked together. {If the text is
not corrupt in Section Eight, we may understand that: Gimel, Peh and either
Aleph, Taw or Vau produce love; Lamed, Ayin and perhaps Taw produce hatred;
Dalet, Resh and Qof are the animators; Peh and two other Letters are the
destroyers. The issue is not clear.}

Section Nine.

There are twenty-two letters by which the I AM {}, Yah {}, He of the
Hosts {}, God Almighty {}, He Who Creates the Eiohim {}, designed, formed and created by three Sepharim, His whole world, and
formed by them creatures and all those that will be formed in time to come.

Section Ten.

When the Patriarch Abraham comprehended the great truism, revolved it in
his mind, conceived it perfectly, made careful investigations and profound
inquiries, pondered upon it and succeeded in contemplations, the Lord of the
Universe appeared to him, called him his friend, made with him a covenant
between the ten fingers of his hands, which is the covenant of the tongue, and
the covenant between the ten toes of his feet, which is the covenant of
circumcision, and said of him: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew
thee." {Jer.l.5}

THUS ENDS

Bibliography

Copies and translations of the Sepher Yetzirah:

Kalish, Isidor; first published English translation, 1877 e.v., includes
Hebrew text.

Reprinted by AMORC and others.
Stenring, Knut; first published in 1923, later editions exist. Compares
several texts,

includes "32 intelligences addition."
Suares, Carlo; English translation of the French edition, Shambala Press.

Previously part published in Tree #2, Summer 1971.
Westcott, Wm. Wynn; translation first published in 1911, later editions exist.

Includes 32 intelligences and a few notes on the fifty gates --

taken from Kircher's 17th century Oedipus Aegyptiacus with little

regard for accuracy.
Work of the Chariot, 1970. Available in several forms, with or without Hebrew text.

Studies:

The Origin of Letters & Numerals According to the Sepher Yetzirah, by Phineas

Mordell, 1914 and 1975. Published by Samuel Weiser, Inc. Uses a

linguistic approach. Many of the theories are of value, but the

author is too loose with the text.De Arte Cabalistica, by Johannes Reuchlin, 1517. Contains the earliest

printed version of major portions from the Sepher Yetzirah in a

European language (Latin).

Manuscripts of the Yetzirah abound, mostly in Hebrew. There is an early
English translation of the Yetzirah among the MSS in the collection of the
Percy family (Dukes of Northumberland) at Alnwick Castle. The latter may have
been acquired through the influence of John Dee, tutor to the Percy's in the
16th century. See A.C.L.S. British Manuscripts Project, Alnwick 123, Reel 0
41, for a microfilm copy of this MS --- Available through major University
Libraries.